Automatic film-winding camera



M. B. GORDON.

AUTOMATIC FILM WINDING CAMERA. APPLICATION FILED AUG-9. 1919.

1 ,831,848. Patented Eel). 2i, 1920.

m fi i lnven tor By Attorn% by turning the handle or key which engages onirnn STATE$ PATENT orrion. 1

MYRON B. GORDON, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ANSCO COMPANY,

. OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, A CORPOBATION OF NEW YORK. I

, Ainronnrrc FILM-WINDING CAMERA.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented -Feb. 24, 1920.

Application filed August 9, 1919. Serial No. 316,473.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MYRON B. GORDON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Wilkinsburg, county of Allegheny, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Film-Winding Cameras, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing a new and improved mechanism whereby the film in film cameras may be automatically advanced from exposure to exposure by exceedingly simple manipulation on the part of the operator; a further object is to markedly simplify and reduce the cost of the means provided for shifting the film; and a further object is to provide new and improved means whereby doubleexposures will be prevented. The foregoing and other 1 beneficial results flowing from the invention will be apparent from the following descrip- 1 tion of the mechanism and its method of operation.

In ordinary film cameras the sensitive film is shifted from exposure to exposure the spool on which the film is wound as the successive exposures are made. This requires a considerable amount of time, .prevents the making of exposures in quick succession and sometimes the forward winding of the film is neglected, with the result that adouble exposure is made and both pictures spoiled. My invention contemplates a camera operating mechanism in which means are provided for simplifying and facilitating the taking of the pictures and for eliminating or reducing the danger of making double exposures.

' In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a camera embodying my invention, a part of the camera case and operating mechanism being broken away for conven- Y ience in illustration; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale of part of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of another part of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is another perspective view of the camera.

In the drawings I haveillustrated the s he object of this invention. is to produce camera as of the folding type. in which roll films may be employed. The camera is provided with a case 5 having a receiving spool. 6 at one end on which the film is wound as the successive exposures are made. .The supply. or stock spool from which the film is unwound will of course'be at the other end of the camera and is not shown. The case 5 is provided with the usual exposure boards 7, over which the film is drawn, and

"in which an aperture 7* is provided, which defines the size of the picture.

,"In'the embodiment of the invention illustrated the, case 5 is lengthened beyond the receiving spool 6 sufficiently to inclose a.

spring 8, which, as shown, extends across the top of the case 5 and is helical inform. I have shown one end of this spring as attached at 9 to a ratchet wheel 10, the spring being broken away in the drawing for the purpose of. more clear illustration. The ratchet wheel 10is rotatably mounted upon a shaft 11, which extends from one side of the casing to the other and is connected with a winding handle or key 12, which, as usual, is located outside of the case 5. A pawl 13 is mounted on the interior of the case and engages the ratchet 10 and prevents it from turning except in the proper. direction for winding up the spring 8. The end'of the spring 8 opposite that which is attached to the ratchet wheel 10 is attached to the shaft 11 in anysuitable manner, so that the spring tends to turn the shaft. I

As illustrated the end of the shaft 11 remote from the ratchet wheel 10' projects through the side of the case 5 and a gear 14: is rigidly mounted on its projecting end and meshes, as shown, with a pinion 1'5 operatively connected to the film spool =6 by means of a shaft 16 and a clutch 17. 1 provide awinding handle 18 on the outer end of the shaft 16 whereby the film spool 6 may be turned by hand when desired.

As shown the pinion 15 meshes. with a gear 19 which is rotatably mounted on a stud or axis 20 and which drives a concentric pinion 21, and meshing with the pinion 21 I provide a gear22 which is illustrated as rigidly connected to or integral with a disk 22 which is provided with twelve notches around its circumference, as shown, one notch being provided for each exposure to i be made on the roll of film. lt willof course be understood that in the camera illustrated.

the gear relation between the pinion 15 and the disk 22 is such that the disk will make known in-this art'and need no ,rthe'r deicriilption. On the inner end of the shaft 16 ustrate a spool engagingmember .41 adapted to engagethe spool 6 in the'usual manner m I q Fig. 4 illustrates the camera of Fig. 1 com: pletely assembled as shown. It is preferably provided with the usual window 42 for observing the position of the film in the applied'to a folding camera. I desire it to one revolution during the operation of camera. 7e winding the film for the purpose of making The operation of the apparatus illustrated twelve exposures. .It will be noted that the in Fig. l is as followszA film is inserted in, notches on the disk are irregularly spaced the camera, .in the usual manner and the, so as to compensate for the gradually inhandle 18 is turned until the first film is in creasing diameter of the roll of film as it the correct position for exposure. The is successively wound upon thespool 6. In spring 8 is wound up. The stop 23 should be the apparatus illustrated the movement of in the notch marked 1. The 'exposure is the disk 22 and hence of the film. spool is made in the usual manner and after the.

- controlled by a stop 23 which is shown in a shutter closes, the button 29 is pressed, larger scale inFig. 2. As there illustrated thereby releasing thedisk 22 and allowing 3d y it is pivoted on a pin 24 and is provided the spring 8 to shift thefilm. As shown, the 1 with a notched engaging lug 25. The pinion extension 27 on the stop 23 slips off the 24 as shown is supported upon a bracket 26. pawl 28 after the disk is released so that The stop 23 is also provided'with an extenthe stop is free to fall into the notch rium sion 27 which is adapted to be. engaged with bored 2, whether the button is held or not. 5 .apawl 28 pivotally mounted upon a push When the stop 23 falls into the notch 2, the

button 29. "A spring 30 is provided which next exposure may be made. The spring 8 yieldingly holds the pawl 28 in position to is preferably of such capacity'as to shift engage the extension 27 and aspring 31 enthe film twelve times. Asthe notches on the gages with the inner end of the push 'butdisk 22 are spaced to compensate for the inton whereby it is returned to its normal pocreasing thickness of the roll of-film on the sition after it has been pressed inwardly to spool 6, ordinary films may be used in the cause the stop 23 to release thedisk 22. As camera. After the last exposure has been shown the stop 23 is provided with a lug made and the film has been shifted the re- 32 which engages with a spring 33. which, mainder of the film may be wound up in the while permitting movement of the stop usual manner, by turning the handle 18, upon its axis 24, returns it to normal posithereby leaving the disk 22 in the correct 'tion after each operation. position fora new rollof film. It will, of As shown in Fig. 2 the gears and stop course, be understood that after the twelfth mechanism are inclosed by a housing 34 exposure has been made, the remainder of which may be attached to the case 5 in any the film, including ,that exposure, may be suitablemanner. I have shown a hole 35 in wound up by hand, but inthe'mechanism the housing34 to allow clearance for the shown the disk 22 would not be in the cor- 7 lug 25 when the stop 23 is moved'out of enrect position for/the first exposure of the gagement with the notched disk '22.- A next roll of film." It is also apparent that 5 hole 36 is likewise provided through which the disk 22 may be so geared and notched as the numbers on the disk 23 may be observed, to completely wind up the remainder of the a number being provided for each expofiure film after the last exposure has'been made.

of the film.. The housin '34 and the ase The mechanism in its. onstruction, com- I 5 are-preferably, but not necessarily; inbination [and method of operation, is ex.-

closed within a leather or other suitable tremely simple, compact and relatively-in- 7 covering 37. expensive. he spring 8, if properly made,

' Fig. 3 is an enlarged viewof the-clutch will have ample capacityfor shifting the mechanism." As shown the clutch proper whole roll. of film without necessity for its reis inclosed or housed within the"pin1on.-15 winding. The film may be of the ordinary 5 and it consists of a cam 38 secured to the kind as the clutch 17 allows it to be adjusted shaft 16 and having a series of cam shaped to the first position in the usualmanner and faces 39 'which cooperate with balls or roll-- the spacing of the notches inthe disk 22 in ers 40 so that-in .a manner well understood a very inexpensive and practical manner the shaft .7 may be turned in one direction -compensatesfor the increasing-diameter of 1 0 by. the. handle 18 without disturbing the j the roll as the 'film isintermit'tently wound pinion 15 or the pinion 15 may be turned in up and the operation of, shifting the film the same direction by the ar14 turning from one exposure to another is reduced to:

l the shaft 16' and handle: 18 with it. Clutches merely pressing-the'button and is therefore .or'over-runningdevices of this ty e are well i not-likely to beforgotton and it also per- While 'I have illustrated my invention i I I q I n I mits pictures to be taken in very rapid sucapplied to cameras of thebox type or practically any other type in which film, or its equivalent, is" used as the sensiti've'element.

It will be obvious to those who are familiar with such matters that that which I have herein illustrated and described constitutes one form only in which my invention may be embodied and that various changes, modifications, substitutions, omissions and additions may be made in the apparatus illustrated and described without departing from the spirit-and scope of my invention. it therefore do not limit myself to that which is specifically illustrated and described.

ll claim:

1. In a film roll camera means for the automatic advance of the film embodying a receiving spool, a supply spool, a spring motor encircling an independent shaft at the end of the camera beyond the receiving.

spool, means on the exterior of the camera whereby the said shaft may be manually operated and the spring put under tension without moving any of the other parts,

means whereby the receivingspool may be rotated by the motor and by devices independent thereof, gearing operated by the rotation of the receiving spool and connecting the shaft of that spool with a rotating index plate, and a manually operated stop mecha nism upon the exterior of the camera adapted to lock the index plate and thus control the -motor.

2. In a film roll camera means for the automatic advance of the film embodying a receiving spool, a supply spool, a spring motor encircling an lndependent shaft at the end of the camera beyond the receiving without moving the other parts, means whereby the receiving spool may be rotated both by the motor and by devices independent thereof without moving any other part,

gearing operated by the rot'ation of the re ceiving spool, a disk having notchestliereon separated by gradually increasing dlstances,

indic-iaupon the disk and a manually operated stop upon the exterior of the camera adapted to engage the notches in the disk. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

MYRON 'B. GORDON. 

